Description. Body about 3.2 times as long as greatest width; widest at pereonite 4, lateral margins sub­parallel. Pereonite 1 2.2 times as long as pereonite 2; pereonites 2–4 subequal in length, pereonite 3 with dorsal margin slightly produced; pereonite 5 slightly shorter than pereonite 6, which is subequal in length to pereonite 7.

Pereopod 1 short and stout ( Fig. 2
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A). Basis 3.2 times as long as wide, without setae; ischium 0.77 times as long as basis, 1.1 times as long as wide, inferior margin with 2 small setae, superior margin with prominent ridge; merus 0.81 times as long as ischium, 0.85 times as long as wide, inferior margin with 6 strong setae set in group of 2 proximally and 4 distally and single simple seta, superior distolateral margin produced, overreaching carpus, not extending over propodus; carpus with cluster of 6 simple slender setae on inferior margin; propodus 1.6 times as long as ischium, 2.0 times as long as wide, inferior margin straight, with 9–10 acute robust setae, superior margin strongly convex, distally provided with 2 elongate setae; dactylus elongate, 0.8 times as long as propodus, extending to inferior margin of carpus.

Pereopod 2 ( Fig. 2
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B). Basis 1.4 times as long as wide, without setae; ischium 0.74 times as long as basis, 0.95 times as long as wide, with prominent sub­distal protrusion along superior margin, protrusion with 1 stout seta and 2 elongated simple setae, mesial surface with 1 stout seta; merus 1.23 times as long as ischium, 1.80 times as long as wide, with 8 stout setae along medial margin and single elongate, non­plumose seta, distolaterally strongly developed and furnished with 3 strong setae; carpus quadrate, distomedially with 5 strong setae; propodus elongate, medial margin nearly straight, furnished with 7 strong setae, lateral margin slightly convex, propodial organ absent in male and females; dactylus elongate, curved, unguis clearly demarcated.

Pereopod 4 long ( Fig. 2
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D). Lateral margin of basis with three plumose setae, several short simple setae along both medial and lateral margin, distomedially with single stout seta; ischium with five stout setae along medial margin, five stout setae distomedially; distolaterally not strongly produced, furnished with two stout setae; medial margin of carpus with two groups of stout setae, one of which distomedially placed, distolateral margin produced and furnished with 4–5 stout setae; carpus well developed, medial margin with three groups of stout setae, one of which is distomedially placed, distolateral margin produced, furnished with four stout setae; propodus elongate, medial margin with four groups of stout setae, single stout seta distolaterally; dactylus elongate, curved, unguis clearly demarcated.

Colour. Body completely white, without pigments and lacking chromatophores. Derivation of name. Named after the biological research group ( TROGLOBIA) that collected the type series; noun in apposition.

Habitat. The Paraje del Desierto de Las Palmas is located to the south­east of the Iberian System, a mainly Mesozoic limestone cordillera that crosses the north half of Spain in a NW­SE direction. However, this area shows a particular lithology of predominant Triassic sandstone, and relatively abundant Cretaceous limestone in which numerous caves have developed, 45 being catalogued to date ( Arenós 1995). The Ullal de la Rambla de Miravet is the only known cave within the Paraje having a permanent water body, which is subjected to partial desiccation and gradual fragmentation principally through the summer. This cave consists of a 25.5 metre deep pool bifurcating in a horizontal single gallery running perpendicular to the coastline. The karstic system collects rain water from an endorheic inland plain, up the Miravet ravine, with a total of three sumps, the largest one being the Avenc del Pla de les Foes (40 º06’ 48 ’’N, 00º03’ 40 ’’E) ( Arenós 1997). During seasonal storms generally occurring at least once a year in the area, the system releases the excess water through the Ullal surge (40 º06’ 48 ’’N, 00º03’ 40 ’’E), there being a further fossil surge, the so­called Forat de L’Horta (40 º06’ 52 ’’N, 00º03’ 15 ’’E), both of which open to the Miravet Ravine. All of the latter features encompass a geological unit which has been sculptured over time by hydrodynamic action. Access to the deep pool leading to the underground water bodies is undertaken from the top of the Ullal surge, a circular 1.5 x 1.0m opening followed by a winding fall narrowing down to 0.3m at some points. This, together with the presence of siphon chambers throughout the year, poses obvious speleological constraints that have enhanced the conservation of the site; in fact only 260 meters of the horizontal gallery have been explored to date ( Arenós 1997). A full cave profile and an extensive description can be found in Arenós (1995), whilst a summary profile has been illustrated by Sanz & Platvoet (1995), together with physico­chemical data.

Associated fauna. A single specimen of an undescribed cirolanid genus (N.L. Bruce, pers. comm) was collected with the specimens of T. troglobia sp. nov.

Typhlocirolana troglobia sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other species in the genus, by the combination of the following characters: lack of sexual dimorphism of pereopod 7, absence of sexual dimorphism in the chaetotaxy of the propodus of pereopod 3, and the excavated and serrate nature of the tip of the appendix masculina. Within this group, T. troglobia sp. nov. is most similar to T. margalefi, described from Alicante, continental Spain ( Pretus 1986), but can be distinguished from that species by the above listed characters, as well as differences in the chaetotaxy on the pereopods, which is much more developed in T. troglobia sp. nov., and by the longer appendix masculina (overreaching endopod by 0.45 of its length in T. margalefi vs. 0.34 in T. troglobia sp. nov.).